


The Choices That Make Us (And The People That Break Us)

by TruFaith



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Honest, I couldn't help myself, I'm Sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-16
Updated: 2014-05-16
Packaged: 2018-01-24 22:44:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1619675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TruFaith/pseuds/TruFaith
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“That is why I’m here," Elsa stresses.  “You are at a crossroads right now.  With two very different paths laid out in front of you.  I am here to help you choose the right one.”  As far as Regina can tell the girl seems entirely sincere.  But then again so have so many others before her.</p><p>“Who are you?”</p><p>“I’m a friend, Regina.”</p><p>“Yes, and so were dozens of others who ended up trying to kill me.”  </p><p>“If I weren’t here to help you, to set you on the right path - the one you want to be on - then why would you have sent me back here in the first place?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Choices That Make Us (And The People That Break Us)

**Author's Note:**

> I did the thing. I know, I'm sorry. But I couldn't help it! This picks up at the end of the finale. This part's kind of just a short set-up thing but I'm thinking about three, maybe four chapters overall. Unless you guys hate it, in which case we will just leave it here and never speak of it again.

Regina leaves the diner with slow steady steps.  She doesn’t slam open the door, doesn’t speed down the steps, rushing away from the joyful sounds of her heart shattering.  She just walks, filled with a familiar kind of numbness that terrifies and soothes her all at once.

 

She walks through her own front door and heads straight for the study.  She grabs the scotch and a very tall glass.

 

“I don’t care who you are or what you want.”  Regina doesn’t look at the woman sitting at her desk.  She just fills her glass with hands that she thinks shouldn’t be as steady as they are.  “Get out of my house.”  She picks up her glass, hesitates for a moment, then grabs the bottle as well before walking back out of the study and heading for the stairs.

 

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”  The soft click of heels on her floor follow her out into the entryway and Regina sighs.  

 

She sits the glass and bottle down on one of the small tables against the wall and slowly turns to face the other woman.  She’s dressed in black slacks and a light blue long sleeved dress shirt.  It reminds Regina of something she herself might’ve worn during her days as Mayor.  The girl’s light blond hair is in an intricate braid just messy enough for Regina to suspect it might be on purpose.  She looks young but somehow aged beyond her years, a concept Regina is all too familiar with.

 

“You have three seconds to get out of my home or I will put you out myself.”  Regina doesn’t sneer the words, just says them plainly with a conviction she doesn’t quite feel.  She can feel the magic vibrating off of this girl from across the room.  And honestly, after the last few days, Regina’s not sure that she has another fight left in her.  

 

The girl just stares at her, not smiling but not threatening either.  Just waiting to see what Regina will do.  She gets her answer in the form of a ball of fire sailing toward her.  The girl raises a hand and the fire freezes solid, hovering in mid-air for a moment before bursting into a hundred glittering snowflakes that disappear completely before they ever hit the floor.

 

“Cute parlor trick,” Regina says with a slight tilt of her head, getting only a noncommittal hum in response.  Regina slings another ball of fire, then another and another.  Each time the girl freezes them like before until the entire room begins to look like the inside of a snow globe.  She takes a deep breath and concentrates as her light magic slowly begins to swirl in her palms.  The girl just smiles at her.

 

“Not that this isn’t fun - because, believe me, I could do this all night - but maybe we just skip the rest of the theatrics, hmm?”  Regina doesn’t move but the magic in her hands grows just a little brighter.

 

“Trust me,” a large cloud of snow appears beside the girl, twisting and swirling until it takes the shape of a huge hulking creature, bent nearly in half just to fit inside the two story space.  Its eyes glow and its claws and teeth are sharp.  It reminds Regina of the golems she used to hear stories about back in the old world.  “If I wanted you harmed you already would be.”  Regina sighs in defeat and extinguishes the magic in her palms.  “Good.”  The girl smiles again and with a wave of her hand the creature disappears.

 

Regina turns back to pick up her scotch and takes a long drink.  She’s really getting tired of people just showing up with magic twice as strong as hers has ever been.  At least with Zelena there was a level of respect and understanding.  They had shared the same mother, the same tutor.  But this girl, _Christ_ she can’t be more than twenty-seven.  Regina drains the rest of her drink.  

 

When she turns back around the girl has moved to stand just a few feet in front of her.  The way this girl stands screams royalty; back straight and hands clasped together at her waist, her face kind but not overly so.  She must be one of the distant royals brought back by the second curse that Regina hasn’t cared enough to notice over these last few weeks.

 

“Listen…”

 

“Elsa,” the girl supplies.

 

“Elsa.  I have had a hell of a week.”  A sympathetic look crosses over the girl’s face that Regina can’t stand.  “Any chance we could postpone this little ambush?  I’m available next Thursday I believe.”  Regina smirks tiredly and Elsa smirks right back.

 

“Shall we sit?”  She gestures toward Regina’s dining room table like this house is her own and Regina is merely a guest.  Definitely a royal, then.

 

“I’d rather stand if you don’t mind,” she says with another defeated sigh.  “Drink?”  She nods toward the bottle of scotch as she refills her own glass.  The girl chuckles quietly.

 

“Thank you, but no,” she says with a smile.  Regina takes another drink followed by a deep breath.

 

“With power like that I can’t imagine there’s much I can _do_ for you.  So you must want something I _have_.”

 

“Not exactly.”  Elsa gives her a small grin and Regina suppresses the urge to roll her eyes.

 

“I wasn’t kidding about the long week, dear.  I am in no mood for cryptic.  Spit it out.”

 

“We really should sit,” Elsa says with another grin and moves toward the dining room.  Regina watches her go and finally gives in to the eye roll.  She grabs the bottle of scotch by the neck and joins the girl at the table.  

 

“This long week of yours?  It’s really been more of a long _year_ , hasn’t it?”  It’s more a statement than a question.  Regina scoffs and answers it anyway.

 

“Try a long six decades, dear,” she says into her glass and takes another drink.  The scotch burns down her throat as a much more pleasant sort of numbness starts tingling across her skin.

 

“ _That_ is why I’m here.”  Regina raises an eyebrow at her.  “You are at a crossroads right now.  With two _very_ different paths laid out in front of you.  I am here to help you choose the right one.”

 

Regina stays quiet and takes a moment to _really_ look at the girl.  Her big blue eyes show only compassion and honesty.  As far as Regina can tell the girl seems entirely sincere.  But then again so have so many others before her.

 

“In my experience, when people say they want to help _you_ what they really mean is that they want you to help _them_.”  The girl tilts her head with another small nod.

 

“I won’t lie, my reasons for being here are not _entirely_ selfless.”

 

“I thought as much.”  Regina takes another sip and leans heavily against the back of her chair.  Her energy is wearing thin and the alcohol is settling strong now.  The feeling reminds her of Robin and his whiskey.  She closes her eyes against the twisting knife in her chest.

 

“Listen to me.”  Regina’s eyes snap back open to find Elsa’s pleading ones.  “Yes, the outcome of these next few weeks will affect me.  But make no mistake, I am here for _you_ , Regina.”  The girl leans forward, her brow furrowing with the need for Regina to understand.  “To give you your _best chance_.”

 

A chill runs up Regina’s spine, but _God_ she’s far too exhausted for mystery and games.

 

“Who _are_ you?”

 

“I’m a _friend_ , Regina.”

 

“Yes, and so were dozens of others who ended up trying to kill me.”  

 

“If I weren’t here to help you, to set you on the right path - the one you _want_ to be on,” Elsa slides a hand into the pocket of her slacks, “then why would _you_ have sent me back here in the first place?”  The girl drops a pocketwatch onto the table, Regina’s father’s pocketwatch, to be exact.

 

Regina stares at it as she slowly reaches to unlatch the lid.  She had seen her father’s watch in her vault just yesterday when she’d placed Zelena’s pendant inside it.  The one laying on her table now looks older but still exactly the same, scratched and worn in all the same places.  It’s an impressive glamor, she must admit.

 

“This doesn’t prove anything,” Regina says, bringing her eyes back up to the girl.  Elsa sits back with a sigh.

 

“I believe I’ll take that drink now.”  Elsa waves her hand and a frosted glass much smaller than Regina’s appears in front of her.  She grabs the scotch and fills the glass halfway.  “You know,” she starts again as she raises the glass to her lips, “you _told_ me, ‘Don’t try to reason with me, Elsa, it won’t work.’”  She takes a long drink and grimaces at the taste.  “I mean, I knew you had trust issues, but _honestly_ , Mills.”

 

Regina just rolls her eyes and takes another drink.  If one more person mentions time travel to her she will lose her damn mind.  Thank god her scotch is strong.  Maybe she won’t even remember any of this in the morning.

 

“So, just to humor you and get you the hell out of my house,” Regina smirks and Elsa just purses her lips in annoyance, “you’re suggesting that _I_ sent _you_ here from the _future_?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Splendid.  And why would I, knowing how suspicious and untrusting a person I am, have sent a complete stranger instead of just coming back myself?”

 

“Because this is how it already happened,” Elsa says with a sigh.  “I showed up here from 2031 to help you and in the year 2031 you will send me back to 2014 to keep the timeline intact.  That’s how it’s always been.”  

 

“Of course.  Paradoxes and whatnot,” Regina says agreeably and brings her glass back to her lips.  “And how old are you?” she asks over the rim of her glass before taking a sip.

 

“I’m older than I look,” Elsa glares.

 

“No you’re not.”  The girl’s glare slowly fades as she rolls her eyes and shakes her head.

 

“No, I’m not,” she admits and takes another drink.  “I’m twenty-five.”

 

“So I sent a strange child with a snow fetish back in time to myself because I had to because it had already happened?”

 

“Actually,” Elsa says with an accusing tone as she leans over the table, “you messed up and sent me to entirely the wrong place _and_ time.  But I still managed to get here.”  Elsa relaxes back into her chair with a tired sigh.  “No thanks to you.”  Regina applauds the girl’s commitment, she really does.

 

“If you’re from the future,” Regina starts slowly, an idea sluggishly piecing together through the alcohol, “then you know everything that’s going to happen, correct?”  Elsa tilts her head suspiciously as she considers the question.

 

“Yes and n--” the rest of Elsa’s words are cut off by the scotch from Regina’s glass hitting her square in the face.

 

“Theory disproved, dear,” Regina smirks.  Elsa glares at her as a towel appears in her hand and she starts wiping the alcohol from her face.  “This was a _lovely_ chat,” Regina sets the empty glass on the table and rises from her chair, “but, again, I’ve had quite a long day and I really should be getting to bed.”  She turns and starts through the doorway.  “Do see yourself out once you get cleaned up.”

 

She makes it halfway to the staircase before snow starts swirling around her and suddenly she’s surrounded by ice.  Large spires of it shoot out of the floor on all sides of her, trapping her in place.  The one in front of her stopping only as the sharp tip of it presses against her throat.

 

“Now, now,” Regina almost manages to keep her voice steady as the alcohol rapidly clears from her mind.  “What’s a little scotch to the face between time traveling friends, hmm?”  Her arms are pinned to her sides but she manages to twist her hand enough to summon a small fire ball.  It immediately fizzles out against the cold.  Even her light magic doesn’t seem to have any effect. _Jesus, who is this girl_ , she thinks.

 

“You know,” Elsa finally comes into Regina’s line of sight still wiping at her face and neck, her voice calm and casual, “these last three weeks have _not_ been fun for me.  Ogres, angry mobs, _trapped in an urn_.”  She dabs at the bit of scotch on her shirt.  “But I survived all of that to get here and save you.  And I’ll be _damned_ if your stubborn ass gets in the way of it.”  She tosses the towel to the side and it disappears before it hits the ground.

 

Elsa finally meets Regina’s eyes and it’s like looking at a different person.  She seems much older, much more severe and dangerous than before.  She looks every bit the royal Regina knows she must be.  She looks at Elsa and, God help the girl, it’s like looking into a mirror thirty years ago.

 

“I tried to be nice, tried to gently ease you into it.”  Elsa takes slow measured steps toward her, stopping less than a foot away.  “But the truth of the matter is, without my help,” she leans in close, just inches from Regina’s face, “you will destroy _everything_.  Cities will burn, people will die.  Some that you hate, others that you care for dearly.”  Two faces flash through Regina’s mind and she swallows thickly, the action causing the ice to scrape at her throat.

 

“So we’re going to try a different tactic.”  Elsa straightens but doesn’t move any farther away.  “Because, you see, it doesn’t really matter if you believe me or not.  What matters is that from now on you’re going to listen to me and you’re going to do exactly as I say.  If for no other reason than that if you don’t,” the ice surrounding Regina grows taller until there are at least a dozen sharp points digging into the flesh of her neck, “I can kill you where you stand.”  

 

Regina takes a moment to search Elsa’s eyes, to see just how similar they really are.  The darkness she sees swirling around in them is enough for her to bite her tongue.

 

“You’re powerful, Regina, there’s no doubt about that.”  Elsa leans in again, her voice low and steady.  “But you are _not_ more powerful than me.”  

 

“Fine,” Regina concedes through bared teeth.

 

“Good.”  Elsa grins and takes a step back.  With a wave of her hand the ice disappears, then she spins and heads for the front door.  Regina finally relaxes, taking deep, quiet breaths.  “Now go sober up and get some sleep,” she throws over her shoulder as she opens the door.  “We start tomorrow.”  

  



End file.
